Year: 2011

  • Matches made in political heaven.

    I am quoting from an extract written by George Joseph at george.j@ians.in and can only say that this was a tasteful, fragrant event, with wonderful Kashmiri -Gujerati food offered to all the guests.On three days of the marriage celebrations the flowers and the colours changed from Marigold for the mehendi, to white jasmine for the wedding day…

  • Kiran Nadar Museum of Art closer to you

    I have blogged before about this wonderful initiative. At the time it was in Noida but more recently the Museum has opened a new branch in an unconventional setting perhaps even controversial. It occupies a large part of the ground floor in South Court DLF Saket Mall. Yes, a shopping Mall, that haven of Indian free…

  • Holied- the Festival of Colours

    It happened early in the morning- I was walking out of the house with Tara and little Rituu came along with her paint and painted me pink. Bhaju, the gardener followed, ringing my doorbell and while it is done with reverence, a touching of my feet first, he proceeded to dab bright pink paint all over my face…

  • A day at Tiklibottom

    Nestled close to the Arivali hills beyond Gurgaon is a little haven of tranquility and tastefulness. Some years back Annie and Martin Howard found themselves being propositioned by friends to take on two acres in this area next to a stud farm.They did so and Tiklibottom is the outcome – Just the name conjures up all sorts…

  • Garden of Five Senses

    February- March is Garden time in Delhi – from the wonderful Presidential Gardens which are open to the public at this time to the various parks and gardens scattered around this lush green city. The Garden of Five Senses located in MB road near Saket is worth a visit at this time. It is spread…

  • Chandni Chowk -All change

    Yesterday I had the opportunity to take some friends who were visiting from Cyprus to Chandni Chowk. I never say no.It is always madly noisy, hugely entertaining and clearly one of the best loved corners of the city. Well it looks as if the Delhi Municipal Corporation has other plans for this famous landmark and…

  • Devanagari uncovered and shameless showcasing

    A few days ago was pay day. My amazing helper signed for her salary and I stood looking at it for a while and said to her with the biggest smile on my face as if she had just paid me instead, ” I can read what you have written.” That was quite magical for me.…

  • The road to revolution and home

    There has been some rain in Delhi. Thunder cracks on the horizon, the sky darkens and down it comes. It was welcome, the leaves are shiny green, the grass has perked up and the atmosphere has a crispness to it. This is the result of the rain on the infamous Mandi Road- the road that…

  • Salaam Baalak Trust and Lego

    For those of you who have found the blog more recently I became involved with Salaam Baalak Trust about a year or so ago when I went along to a Street Walk organised by the British Contact Group. I was so moved by the children I met in the holding centre that I resolved to…

  • Rashtrapati Bhavan – the Prez Rez

    It give me goosebumps walking through the halls of power and knowing that kings and queens, viceroys and vicerines have treaded the same paths steeped in history but also now so contemporary. The elephants on the outer wall were designed by Charles Sargeant Jagger. The magnificent gates in wrought Iron. So it was with a real…